


The Turtleduck and the Badgermole

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avatar: The Legend of Korra References, BAMF Toph Beifong, Bending (Avatar), Blindness, Characters Sent To Another Universe, Creative Bending, De-Aged Characters, Deviates From Canon, Dimension Travel, Druk the Dragon - Freeform, Gen, Isekai, Light Angst, Misunderstandings, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Pretend Siblings, Suspicions, Undercover, War-Hardened Toph and Zuko, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26216389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: In a fit of frustration, Druk sends old Zuko and Toph to a different world. Only, their bodies seem to have de-aged and Druk himself seems to have become a spirit locked in Zuko's mind.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 92
Kudos: 485
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Double Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Toph are ambushed. 
> 
> They wake up in an unfamiliar world.

When Zuko first blinks awake, he doesn't pay much attention to the stinging and burning of the wounds littered over his stomach. He's been through much, _much_ worse and a few new-age bullet wounds aren't anything compared to pure lightning shocking through his body.

He does _distinctly_ notice, however, the lack of ache in his joints. He notices the starkly _non-existent_ dull pains that usually come with being so damn _old._ He notices how his face feels tighter than he's felt in a while.

When he looks down at himself, completely disregarding the bloodiness of his clothes, he gasps because his bloody clothes swamp him. They engulf his suddenly small body. 

He hears an annoyed groan next to him and chokes on surprise as he turns his head and sees Toph, bloody and dirty but young and with smooth skin and that is a surprise but it’s set aside because at least she’s _breathing_. The way she looked when he first joined the Avatar and his gang.

Zuko closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, steadying his shaken core, he breathes out hotly and warmth washes over his body as he pulses heat through his muscles.

Now, time to figure out where the fuck he and Toph are.

* * *

_Their wagon, adorned with symbols of earth and fire, gently riding along a path._

_Toph, Sokka, and Zuko are the last of the Avatar Gang- or Gaang if you talked to the sentimental old Sokka- and nowadays things are much different._

_There are dozens of new countries, each without much care for maintaining one type of bending. No more Fire Nation or Water tribes, just people. People, but still power-hungry._

_Toph and Zuko are on their way to discuss trade treaties with one of the newer countries. With just a few correspondence letters, Zuko and Toph already know this new leader is arrogant and power-hungry._

_Zuko and Toph meet up anyways, exchanging inside jokes and laughs as though they have the time. Now they're riding together to meet up with the new blood._

_They didn't expect to be ambushed by a group carrying wood guns and plastic bullets. They certainly didn't expect the plastic bullets being able to tear into their skin._

_Zuko fucking hates the new-agers inventions. Still, Druk should be sensing his distress at the moment, and guns have yet to become more powerful than dragons._

* * *

Zuko sighs and quietly pushes away some of the anxiety that rings through his mind. He raises a hand and calms slightly as fire bursts into flame above his palm. Before he can lower the hand to his abdomen and cauterize the wound, an annoyed growl appears in his _head_. It sounds like Druk.

_"I'm glad you recognize me, Zusie, "_

Zuko groans and lays his head back on the ground. Then, a warmth that is equally his and isn't his rushes towards his wounds and the throbbing pain of them disappears, it gets replaced by an almost pleasant tingling and then Zuko feels as though his skin is _moving._ He feels what he swears is the plastic bullets push out from his abdomen.

Zuko tries to sit up, but a jolt of pain sends him back down.

_"I'm trying to heal you! Stay still!"_

“...Druk? Where _are_ we? Where are _you?”_ Zuko asks, his voice straining slightly as he tries to hide away the panic from his voice. 

He’s been Fire Lord for a while, he can take unfamiliar situations. He can ignore the strange feelings, for now, the feelings of spirits- _crawling, lurking, and splashing around him. Where is he? He wishes he could turn to Aang and ask why the spirit world seems to have overspilled into the regular world, why his own soul feels heavier than normal._

_“I’m with you, Zuko, calm down. Those aren’t spirits-”_

Zuko shivers and shuts his eyes, he takes a few more steadying breaths and when he opens his eyes again, he’s in his mind. He finds himself sitting in a wooden chair, well-loved and well-cleaned. 

There’s a table in front of him, and upon the table is a hot cup of tea. The steam from it swirls up and dances around his head. He’s at the Jasmine Dragon. Well, his memory of it at least. His hands rest on either side of the tea, wrinkled and old like he’s used to seeing them.

His mind space has always been places he felt content in. Consequently, they’ve always been where he and Uncle Iroh were able to relax. (He used to throw away the notion when he was younger and meditating for the first time; He used to ignore the bright smile Iroh showed when Zuko first said his mind-space looked like the beach they attended when younger). 

Zuko wishes he could breathe in and taste the brewed smells of jasmine and lychee that his uncle used to boast about, but he’ll settle for the warm memory his mind provides him. Zuko smiles ruefully and looks up from the cup of tea when he hears-

_“Zuko? You got here quicker than I expected,”_

At the entrance to the tea shop, Zuko stares in shock as Druk, smaller than normal but still too big to enter the tiny shop, lays carefully. Druk’s head is rested upon the slightly elevated floor of the shop’s door, the rest of his body lays outside, where Zuko can scarcely see forest and flowers.

_“Druk? What are you doing in my mind? Are you-”_ Zuko coughs lightly and raises one of his hands to cover his mouth, _“-dead? Have you become a spirit?”_

Druk blinks at him silently, and many years of companionship with the dragon leads Zuko to conclude that Druk is offended.

_“Of course not!”_ Druk snaps, his nostrils flare and light smoke puffs out of his maw, _“I am undoubtedly going to outlive you, fire-boy, and why haven’t you thanked me yet?”_

Zuko suddenly realizes that Druk must’ve somehow been healing him. That Druk was the one that somehow commanded Zuko’s own skin to knit back together. 

_“Thank you? Can you explain what’s happening now?”_

Druk bristles slightly before accepting the gratitude for what it was and guiltily raising his head slightly.

_“...I have made an extensive miscalculation.”_

* * *

When Toph wakes up, she immediately smells Zuko’s smoky and surprisingly flowery presence near her and she also immediately feels the much _much_ different rhythms of life around them. 

They aren’t where they were last, and she can tell. Despite her rising worry, she takes in the sound and thumping of Zuko’s beating heart and even breathing. He’s either unconscious or meditating. A flare of irritation shoots through her and she grimaces at the thought of Zuko choosing to leave them exposed like that.

Though, she’s a thousand times sure that there are no other humans around them at the moment.

She takes stock of her surroundings like she’s been doing it for years, and she _has._

They’re in a man-made clearing, as the condensed dirt ground around them indicates _. Zuko’s blood isn’t rushing as fast as it was when she first heard the bullets ram into him, and her own wounds have already begun to clot._

There are thick trees around them, and there aren’t any crunching sounds or the papery rustling that comes from Fall’s autumn. It isn’t cold enough to be winter either. _She’s lucky she wasn’t shot like Zuko, but she still sustains injuries from knives barely dodged._

She taps her left hand’s fingers against the ground and visualizes a city near them- waits, not a city. They’re near a _village_. She inhales deeply and smells almost none of the heavy pollution she’s become acquainted with. A rural place then.

Why are they here? _She should’ve had her guard up, she would’ve heard the air splitting around thrown weapons sooner, she could’ve spared Zuko from experiencing what bullets in your body felt like._

But then, Toph shakily begins to wonder why the absolute fuck her armour and her clothes feel larger on her, and why her fingertips press smooth into the ground, wrinkles. She can tell she still has calluses, but they pale in comparison to her usual ones.

Despite her best efforts, panic floods her throat and she raises her hands to her torso, feeling around the clothes that are undeniably hers. She presses a palm against her shoulder and feels the smooth and unblemished skin. She feels the weight of her sleeve dramatically outsize her arm, and she whimpers quietly as the familiar ache from her bones is _gone._ She hates unfamiliarity with herself. It makes her feel small.

And she _is._ She raises her fingers to her face and traces over softer lips and cheekbones, she’s _herself_ but she’s herself from long ago. _She’s young again._

She vaguely remembers the feeling of Zuko frantically grabbing her and she remembers the feeling of her body slowly losing sensation. It was terrifying, but she has her senses now, so it’s fine. Toph reaches toward’s Zuko’s body next to her and feels for his arm.

She breathes out a heavy breath when she comes into contact with smooth skin.

* * *

“This world parallels yours, there are countries named after elements, much like your nations. However, their history differs from yours, and their wars and battles have been fought with a different sort of bending. They have their own form of spirit too-” Druk is cut off by an angry shout,

“But why did you send us here? To this parallel of what Toph and I know? And how could spirits be different?” Zuko asks years of being royalty subtly filter his voice into a demanding tone.

“...the rules of spirits here are different. Their life energy and blood are tied into their spirit far deeper than on our world. I sent you here because-” Druk’s affection for Zuko melts into he words, “Because I knew you and Toph yearned for your past. You even talked about it constantly, you kept recounting memories as if they were wistful bedtime stories. And when those people attacked, I was angry because you have done so much for them! The new-age has brought about arrogance and disregard for the spiritual that is bound to swallow them in revenge! I thought you would be excited! Why are you so angry?”

Zuko huffs, his pale face shakes as the anger at their situation filters out of him. He gets up from his wooden chair and walks over to Druk. He sits down near his dragon’s head and places a reassuring hand over Druk’s snout.

“I am not angry Druk, I admire your wish to help me, but if you have the power to send us to a whole different world, why not just send us to the past?” Zuko asks. He would do anything to go back. To spend more time with his friends, to spend less time over his father’s wrongdoings.

Druk snorts and ruefully leans into Zuko’s touch.

“To mess with time is to mess with the Avatar. It is not in my power to disrupt reincarnation,”

Zuko nods quietly before he asks with a hesitantly curious tone, “How is their bending different?”

Druk seems to relax at the question, and he smiles easily as he begins a brief explanation.

“They bend their spirit and call upon forces beyond. They call it chakra, but their chakra is nothing like we know-”

* * *

Toph grits her teeth and gets onto her bare feet, immediately things become even clearer.

She thumps the heel of her right foot against the ground and breathes out calmly when her senses reach further. 

Definitely a rural village. But then, she feels vibrations travel upwards and against stone walls. There is a large wall surrounding the village, and the strange park they are in. 

She reaches toward the village more, and feels the beating of many feet in a market, the vibrations subtly raking through buildings.

The architecture isn't much different from what she's 'seen' before, maybe albeit old in taste. She thumps her heel again and gasps as she feels rhythms akin to walking. They are far enough that they likely wouldn't be able to hear her talking, but she can tell that someone is walking towards them.

They're vulnerable. Somehow stuck in younger bodies, and with armour too big for her. Zuko's twin swords lay a couple of feet away from them, and Zuko himself is still not conscious.

She turns to Zuko and kneels awkwardly next to him. She can pretend. She's acted through many situations, and she's even fooled her own parents before. 

Quickly, she bends the metal of her armour off of her. It crumples up next to her and awaits further instruction. Without the metal on her clothes, they look civilian at best and enslaved at worst. Toph feels around Zuko's wounds and gets blood over her fingers. For some reason, she can't seem to find the actual entry points that come along with bullets. 

She twitches her head and immediately, the metal shifts and forces itself into the shape of chains and cuffs. They fly over to her and she locks thick cuffs around her wrists, connecting the chains to each other.

She sends the rest of the metal to her feet, leaving her ankles cuffed but the chain attached to them don't connect her feet.

The person is getting closer to where they are. Their footsteps are light and practised and undoubtedly fight ready. _She needs to make themselves look non-threatening._

The rest of the metal forms into cuffs and broken links, she guides them over Zuko's wrists and ankles, making them so they look like Zuko was able to break the chains. With his type of bending, it'd be easier if his wrists weren't forced close.

The person she's hearing is almost at their clearing, they should be able to see them soon.

She composes herself once before she puts on a broken face.

Tears run down her face and she's quick to force pieces of dirt up to further mess up Zuko and her's clothes. She presses her undoubtedly bloody fingers against Zuko's abdomen in an attempt to snap him out of unconsciousness and smiles inwardly when she feels him stir slightly.

The person is at the edge of their clearing now. Able to see them. Toph puts up an even more broken front. She keeps her eyes wide and clearly blind.

She's played helpless a million times before.

Toph snaps her head around as if she's heard something surprising. The person near them stops, and Toph is sure they saw her eyes.

Toph acts pathetic, something she's never truly been but is familiar with. She presses her ear desperately against Zuko's chest and feigns a breath of relief when she hears his heartbeat.

Her chains rattle and she hunches her shoulders protectively when she feels the person walk closer to them, making their presence overly known on purpose.

"Hey, _hey_ , it's alright. You're in Konohagakure, we can help you if you comply, kid"

A man's voice says reassuringly, she understands the language and that's good. He isn't lying either. What is 'Konohagakure?' Is it the village's name? 

Toph can't stop the scowl from climbing onto her face, but she quickly directs it's connotations into distrust.

" _Don't touch me!_ Stay away from us!" Toph shouts, her voice sounds satisfyingly panicked and vulnerable. She could kill the man with the twitch of her finger. Toph presses herself closer to Zuko instead.

The man seems to calmly walk closer, and she can hear the clothes on the man shift as he looks at their bloodied clothing. She breathes out heavily and takes note of the metal weapons on the man's body. No firearms at least.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your brother, alright?" The man says. Toph forces herself not to smile at his assumption. The man doesn't recognize them, that's either great or terrible.

Toph evens out her breathing a little, and puts shaky trust into her posture.

"Why are we here? What do you want from us!" She snaps at the man, though her head is still facing Zuko's body.

The man holds himself confidently and rests to spring into action. A soldier then? What is he doing here, who sent him over-

"Kid, we felt a spike of chakra here around forty minutes ago- was anyone else here with you? We can get you and your brother healed, just trust us, "

Toph feels real panic rise up in her and her breathing quickens. _Chakra?_ How could they _feel_ chakra? Her points are exposed, they could bring her down like fuckin-' Ty Lee? She bares her teeth at the man, and inwardly delights in the man's discomfort.

"I won't let you take us! You stay away!" She says with a desperate shout. Let the man come to his own conclusions.

She fakes a wince and her bloody left-hand moves to a wound she knows is on her side.

The man takes another concerned step forward.

"Kid, we can get you help. You and your brother look really injured, and there's a hospital near here. Whoever hurt you isn't around, " the man says further. Toph almost scoffs at his sureness that there isn't anyone else around and really, her wounds aren't _that_ serious.

However, she proceeds to relax her shoulders slightly. Realistic tears well up in her blind eyes and she moves to fist her hands in the too-large clothing on Zuko.

"Okay, " she says shakily. The man nods before ruefully trying to hide it. He gently picks up Zuko-short and sixteen again, Zuko's swords, and puts a hand on Toph's twelve-year-old shoulder. 

He leads them towards the village carefully, taking care to make sure she's not stumbling.


	2. Talking is Exhausting

The man brings them into the city.

Along the way, Toph catalogues every sound, texture, and smell that she can. There are many people, but they overall seem to be a largely militant group. Too many people hold themselves and walk around with practised steps. Toph can tell that the civilians are dreadful gossips too. It’s not hard to pick up on their interested whispers.

_‘Refugees, obviously. Definitely from Wave, I’ve heard that there’s been an increase in kidnappings there, typical, right?’_

_‘No way, their clothes look nothing like Wave Country, maybe Kusa. Iwa is definitely still messing with them by the way, there’s no way Iwa has been innocent all this time-”_

So there are country tensions going on. Not too surprising but Toph does not recognize the ‘countries’ at _all._ She keeps herself as put-together as she can but inside she’s already going through millions of theories.

Time Travel. But that would be proving all her studies wrong. She was grown up on culture lessons and history books. There’s no way she wouldn’t have heard of any of these countries.

Coma? Toph has always been attuned to her senses. There’s no way she wouldn’t be able to tell whether or not the ground- grassy with smooth pebbles littered across and pressed into the compacted dirt- is real. Her dreams have never matched reality.

Spirit World. Definitely Not. She feels too real.

Alternate World? Probable enough. And she has yet to feel an example of bending-

Her heart stops as she feels the rhythm of footsteps. The rhythm of footsteps _against_ and _up_ a _wall._ The thumping feet leap and land again onto the roof of a building. It wasn't a fast enough pace to attribute the action to sheer will and velocity, and the wall was too steep! Toph doesn’t understand _how._

There was no fire crackling or rushing to propel the person up.

There was no change in vibrations from earth shifting and grabbing onto feet to prevent fall.

There was no puffing or whispering of air lifting the man’s steps and carrying him, and there was no noisy rippling of water and crunching ice aiding movement.

_What is going on?_ Maybe she _is_ in the spirit world. She hears the man that had first approached them trying to get her attention.

“Kid? We’re almost at the hospital, I-” the man awkwardly pats her shoulder, “-I can carry you if you need to? The village is overwhelming, isn’t it?”

Toph’s mind stutters a bit, and she realizes she had stopped walking. Her hand blindly moves and reaches out to touch Zuko’s still form limp against the stranger and his arm thrown over a shoulder. Similar to how her troops would carry the injured.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Toph says softly. They continue their walk to the hospital.

* * *

  
  


Zuko wakes up on a bed. He immediately sits up, slightly surprised at the clean-smelling, light blue clothes someone had changed him into. He doesn’t feel any injuries. He does scowl a bit at the metal bracelet formed over his left wrist. _Obviously made by Toph._

At a closer look around him, he recognizes the clinical equipment around the room. On the other side of the room, there’s another bed. It’s ruffled a bit, but empty. Zuko looks back down at his lap and takes a deep breath. Disinfectant. Another deep breath. Blood.

He’s in a hospital, obviously.

Zuko turns and looks back at the other bed across the room. He wonders where Toph might be.

Suddenly, the door is opening and three nurses are gently leading Toph into the room. One of them sighs and looks up, spotting Zuko.

"Oh! Your brother is awake now, sweetheart," The nurse says kindly. A nurse behind her quietly scoffs.

Zuko grimaces when Toph subtly turns toward where he's sitting and smiles innocently.

* * *

The hospital is familiar enough.

Toph recognizes the vibrations in the types of metal used as frames and stands around the building. Over the years, she’s been able to differentiate the rates of vibrations in different metals. She had gotten a friend of hers to tell her the names of the metals as she refamiliarized herself with them. 

Even without the vibrations, the smell is terribly hospital-like. (She's always been a bit sensitive to the scent of ammonium)

Zuko was left to rest in their shared hospital room, and Toph had let one of the nurses lead her to a bathroom.

Everything here was making her _anxious._ Too many patients and strangers had the walking gait of an Airbender. Some (only, like, four she's counted as of yet, but _still_ ) of the nurses weren't treating her like the little, weak blind girl she's presenting herself as! And more so, most of them were keeping an eye on her as if she were some threat!

It's so _weird._

She's gotten used to the sounds of feet walking up the walls and she's gotten used to the surprising amount of tension around her, but she has yet to fully figure out the fuck the nurses had first asked her. It's a miracle that they actually let her be alone in the bathroom. She goes over the questions in her head. And really, their little interrogation wasn't subtle at all.

_"Where are you two from? Do you know how you got here?"_ A nurse asked gently.

_"We are from the Earth Nation, I don't know how we got here, "_ Toph had answered faux-shyly, curious as to whether they would recognize the term. 

She felt them tense almost immediately at the word 'earth' and Toph mentally winced at their heightened suspicion. One of them had the gall to mutter _"What a strange accent"_ under their breath. _Amateurs._

_"Well, you are now in Fire Country- what village are you from?”_ One of them asked next, a bit sharper and a bit ruder.

_"No village, we are… refugees, "_

The nurse didn't even hesitate when going onto the next question.

_"Are you and your brother nin?"_

Toph had answered that with a confused head tilt and the nurse sighed before asking if she would like something to eat or to go to the bathroom.

If she could just _figure_ out what the hell a 'nin' is! 

"Miss? Are you alright in there?" Toph hears from outside the bathroom door. She sighs before answering.

"I'll be done in a moment, ma'am!"

She washes her hands without having to grope her way around the room, and the nurses lead her back to Zuko.

* * *

  
  


Toph grins at her 'brother' and stumbles slightly into the room.

"Zuko? Where?” she asks, her voice young and her movements pathetic.

"...I'm over here?" Zuko responds slowly, then he glances at the smiling nurses and his eyes subtly become more understanding. He starts lightly clapping his hands.

Toph pretends to follow the sound and makes her way to Zuko's bed.

She climbs onto the bed with fake difficulty and launches herself into a hug at Zuko. Zuko quickly wraps his own arms around her, and shifts so her mouth is closer to his ear.

" _Act,_ alright idiot?"

Toph leans back and sits on Zuko's legs. She smiles at him brightly and Zuko is momentarily distracted by how young she looks. It's been a while since he's seen her blind eyes at full blast. He feels a shift on his bracelet and looks down to see newly raised dots littering the surface of the metal. _Braille._ Alright then Toph, let's see if he can remember the codes.

He carefully brings his hands to his lap. With his right hand, he thumbs over the bumps on the metal bracelet and carefully reads through them. _Brother-sister. From Earth Kingdom. Refugees. Slavery._

Zuko would raise his eyebrows at how quick Toph is with setting up a story. She's lucky that they've probably confused Earth Kingdom with their own version of the nation. Druk gave him a basic rundown of geography at least.

Zuko turns back towards one of the nurses and sharply asks, 

"Where are our things?”

One of them flinches while the other two regard him with unimpressed stares.

"They're being analyzed. You're suspicious." One of them says bluntly. Toph scowls, her back turned towards the nurses. Zuko feels his fingers twitch slightly at the loss of his twin swords.

"When can I get them back?" He asks, softly this time.

"That's not for us to decide, "

And suddenly, Zuko can feel Toph tensing on top of him. Two heavy sets of footsteps approach the room, and a man and woman in intimidating grey get-ups walk in. There's a strip of cloth over their head heads, and a metal plate attached to each. Zuko tries not to think of the things Toph could do with that.

"You will refer to me as Risu and my companion as Kekira, We are _elite chuunin_ and we will be conducting some questioning of you two, " The man says, not even pretending to act the way people are supposed to when talking to kids. The woman smiles sharply at Zuko.

'Ahh, _interrogation,_ how fun' Zuko thinks. And he turns back to Toph and her grey eyes, but then he does a double-take and looks back up at the man.

He has bandages over his eyes, _blind and respected._ Risu's back is straightened but not stiff, ready for attack. And did he just say _"Chuunin?"_ Zuko wishes Druk could have given him more information based on culture rather than spiritual powers. 

Well, he and Toph have always liked challenges.

* * *

  
  


They're actually taken to a real interrogation room. Zuko knows the value of not underestimating children but, _fuck_ , he wishes these 'chuunin' were a bit less fantastic at their jobs.

'Risu' and 'Kekira' temporarily separate them, they didn't even flinch at Toph's scarily good silent crying. Well, Zuko can tell that the man was a bit awkward with the fumbling 'child'. 

"How, when, and why did you come into our village?" Risu starts off with. Risu and Kekira watch him carefully from their side of the table, all of them sitting in chairs.

Zuko answers their questions as definitely as he can. Some things are technically true, of course-lies weaved with truth are the best, and Zuko has spent years practising lies to Toph so he's confident.

"I don't know how we got here. Toph and I were ambushed and knocked out, and we woke up in this village. We were escaping traffickers, "

The two chuunin nod and Zuko lets his eyes wander over the man's bandaged eyes. Kekira asks the next question.

"Are you trained?"

Zuko cocks his head and inwardly rolls his eyes at how quick his interrogators were to reach for their weapons.

"Are you _shinobi?”_ She asks, clarifying.

"I know how to use swords, but not chakra," 

They relax and Zuko slumps slightly in his chair.

"Where are you from?"

"Land of Earth. No village, "

Risu openly scowls and Kekira's eyes sharpen.

"Not Iwagakure? Who was trafficking you?”

Zuko performs a flinch and raises a hand to feel at his scarred eye.

"I don't know who. We were not allowed to look."

Kekira glances at Risu from the corner of her eyes. Zuko mentally clocks in the tiny amount of sympathy in her expression towards Risu. Similar background then? Risu seems to sense her gaze and silently dismisses it.

"The girl calls you 'brother' yet you act nothing alike. She has a different walking gait, and a slightly different accent," Risu says. Zuko wonders if Risu can see like Toph does.

"We are siblings of trauma. Family without blood, surely you understand?” Zuko says back, easily, with just the right amount of defensiveness. 

"Do you intend to stay here in Konoha?" The woman asks finally.

Zuko hesitates for a moment.

"If you will let us. We don't have any money though, "

Kekira nods. She and Risu stand up, gesturing for him to do so too.

It's Toph's turn then.

* * *

  
  


Toph sits quietly on the chair, swinging her legs forward and back.

"-can you tell us what your ambushers sounded like?" The man, Risu, asks. Toph shrugs.

"He sounded old. And mean. Like Zuko when he's _really_ upset, " Toph answers childishly. She nods and raises a hand to tap lightly on the table. Kekira huffs out impatiently and taps on Risu.

"Y'know, Risu's blind too, he lost his sight saving a family. Were you born blind?” Kekira asks her, albeit insensitively. Risu grumbles slightly and Toph is actually surprised.

"Really? And he's a chuunin? I was _born_ blind. Can I be a chuunin?” Toph asks excitedly, hoping they'll explain a bit about what chuunin even is.

"Well, being a shinobi is very dangerous, but if you're-" Kekira begins to explain. Risu cuts her off. _Shinobi? Like a ninja?_

"Do you or your older brother have any ill will directed towards Konoha? Are you a threat?” Risu questions calmly, he begins to tap the table too, but out of beat with Toph's. The off-beat thumping almost makes Toph sneer. 

Toph grins small and makes a show of listening to Risu's tapping.

"We just want to be safe. I don't want to hurt nobody, " Toph says. Her heartbeat is normal.

"That should be it then, thank you for your compliance. I'm sure you can become a shinobi if you put your mind to it, sweetheart, " Kekira says. She's more relaxed than she was at the start of Toph's interrogation.

"You'll have to do a bit more minor questioning, and there are some legal things your older brother will have to do, but things should be fine for you. I hope you enjoy your time here in Konoha, " Risu says. He's already standing to leave. 

"Thank you!" Toph says happily. She keeps her head from turning directly towards either of them. She hears Risu's steps hesitate for a moment before he leaves. Kekira has half the mind to stay with Toph, to help her find her way to the door.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I did not expect so many people to want to read a crossover fic for Avatar and Naruto! Thank you for reading!


	3. Blonde Boy and Blind Books

“You want me to _enrol_ into a _ninja_ academy?” Toph asks incredulously. She drops most of the metal that had been brought with her onto the ground. She keeps a small portion of it balled up in her palm.

Zuko awkwardly shrugs as he avoids her surprisingly focused gaze. They’re in a simply-furnished apartment with two bedrooms and one bath. 

The area that are in is obviously not a very rich or particularly safe neighbourhood, but they weren’t about to ask the scary ninja government for better benefits. They certainly knew how to take care of themselves but they weren’t particularly keen on trying to find their way around the continent themselves. So they decided to suck it up and stay in Konoha.

“They want you to have schooling if we are to claim citizenship, and I don’t actually have any way to prove that I can homeschool you. Besides, it seems as though everyone here attends the academy. It could be good for information gathering, ” he reasoned.

“And what the fuck would you be doing then?” Toph says. She walks over to a short table and plops herself down over a hard zabuton, folding her legs over each other in an easy pose. Zuko winces as she idly pushes metal against the surface of the wooden table until it dents.

“I’m getting a job. We _do_ need money after all,”

Toph nods and stretches her arms up and behind her. She begins leaning back and eventually just ends up laying on the ground.

“Alright then.” Toph bends her knees up and taps the heel of one of her feet into the ground, the metal in her hands shoots up and stills in the air. Zuko watches it warily for a moment before it plummets back down to Toph and stops a hairsbreadth away from her stomach. It begins to shift around in shape. “I’ll become a ‘ninja’ for a while, but don’t be surprised if I test out of the classes. Do you think there are any fight clubs around here?”

Zuko sighs and walks over to her area in the living room, he sits on the table and turns toward Toph- though he doesn’t really have to.

“I wouldn’t know. _Please_ don’t draw too much attention to yourself?” He asks. Toph scoffs before scowling.

“Right back at you, buddy,”

* * *

Zuko wanders the street of Konoha. It’s the next day, and he was given some money that he doesn’t know the value of, but after some careful observation of other people in the market, he was able to discern what each different bill _should_ be about.

They had at least four days until Toph had to go to the academy. Until then, Zuko will be looking for a job and Toph will be in the library researching.

It was harder than he thought it’d be to look for a job. When Iroh was around, Zuko would just go along with whatever the man illustrated for them. Now, Zuko can’t seem to find many old men in tea shops willing to pay some scarred teen to make tea.

_And you have gotten used to the rather lavish life of a Firelord._ Druk unhelpfully adds. Zuko tenses for a moment before his brain quickly registers Druk's presence. He nearly forgot about Druk's particular arrangement.

He was getting frustrated. And hungry. Zuko’s stomach growls and he embarrassedly grits his teeth as a woman glances at him pityingly. He looks down at the few bills he had brought with him.

Fine. He’ll eat lunch and _then_ find a job.

* * *

  
  


Toph isn’t as bored as one would think she’d be. Zuko’s bright plan ‘Send the blind girl to a library,’ wasn’t as dumb as it seemed on the surface.

For one, she can listen to what people are studying about together in the library. A few talkative study groups can help indicate a few things about the society they’re in. There was a lot of vague history, more mentions of wars, but also a few mentions of fighting styles. She hears one student complain about certain history being too secretive, and then she hears another scold them for the sentiment. Definitely, a ninja town of paranoia if she’s ever imagined one.

Secondly, Toph gets to see how accommodating they are to disabilities- which turns out to be _very_. She was immediately led to a blind section when she asked, and though the intern guy that led her there immediately left after, Toph was impressed.

There’s a whole two aisles of braille-like texts in the library. The braille numbering here seems to be the same, but the alphabet is different.

No matter, she’ll just learn a new alphabet.

She hears a new person wandering over and immediately reverts into a more childish disposition. When they get into her range, she scratches her head and hums.

“Could you-” Toph scrunches her nose up and her hand raises to rub against the top of it, “Could you help me real quick?”

She hears the woman- no, the _man,_ shrug before crouching down near her. The steps are light in a way that indicates the same militant training as the ninja she’s met, but they’re also more relaxed.

“What do you need?” He asks. Toph smiles brightly and turns toward the man. He already exudes a teacher-like presence.

“Can you help me find a workbook on the, _the_ alphabet for blind people?” Toph asks, she carefully adds in a childish stutter to her speech. She can practically hear the man smiling kindly at her.

“Of course! Give me one moment,”

And it really was a quick moment. Less than a minute passes before the man is crouching back down near her and carefully holding a book out to her.

“Here you go, I’m holding out to you by the way. Where’s your guardian?”

_Guardian_ , the man had asked, not _parents_. His voice is swathed with concern and Toph can’t decide on whether she should be offended or glad that there’s at least one adult in this world that treats kids like kids. War might’ve ended closer to current time than she had originally thought. Toph reaches out and pats over the book before holding it and bringing it close to her chest.

“He’s busy working right now. I gotta practise reading while he’s out. He’ll pick me up later though,”

Toph feels the man relax, confirming her assumption of how independent this place let their kids be. 

“Alright then. Do you need any help with the workbook? I'm actually a teacher” he asks. _He isn't lying_.

Surprised only for a moment, Toph shyly nods.

* * *

  
  


Zuko eventually finds his way to a food stall blanketed in a meaty aroma. He wasn’t able to find any of his usual spices or preferred fruits in the food market, and he has yet to come across any of the scents associated with the spicy food of his culture.

As he shifts onto the stool standing against a counter, he hears a happy "Welcome! I’ll be with you in a moment!" Zuko smiles back, though the man can’t see him, and picks up a nearby menu. _Oh,_ he thinks, _This is a noodle place._ Carefully, he reaches into his pockets and pulls out a couple of bills.

“Hiya! Are you a ninja? I haven’t seen you around- Where did you get your swords? Wait, are you allowed to be here?” a voice suddenly cuts into his ears. Zuko’s relaxed smile strains a bit as he turns towards the voice’s owner.

A short, blonde-haired teen looks up at him. There’s a metal band around his forehead indicating his status as a ninja. A closer look at the teen’s clothes and he can see that he’s just a genin. Zuko eyes him for a moment before turning back to the banknotes he pulled out.

“Scarred-Eye! I was talkin’ to you! Are you allowed to be here-”

“ _Naruto!”_

Zuko is saved from reprimanding the kid himself as the cook from earlier begins scolding ‘Naruto’ on respecting strangers. The man sighs and pats the now-pouting blonde’s head before turning towards Zuko.

“Sorry, young man, he didn’t mean to offend you. Name’s Teuchi, what would you like to order? First one’s on Naruto here since he was so ready to bother ya,” Teuchi says loudly, he sends a pointed glance at Naruto whose mouth opens for a moment before solemnly closing.

“I’m sorry, I was just wonderin’ about your weapons, is all,”

Zuko softens slightly and nods before hesitantly pocketing his bills and ordering beef ramen with lots of pepper flakes. He turns hesitantly towards Naruto and smiles as kindly as he can. He watches as Naruto tenses.

“I’m a swordsman, not a ninja. I just moved here, and I already have a license for these so don’t worry,” he explains, gesturing to his swords as needed.

Naruto immediately brightens up and Zuko grimaces slightly as the boy hops onto a stool next to him and orders _three_ bowls of ‘the usual.’ He pauses though, as Druk suddenly growls into his thoughts.

_There is something wrong with the boy,_ Druk whispers to him. Zuko keeps back his immediate wish to incredulously shut Druk down. Zuko focuses back on Naruto’s face and takes in the almost-innocent shine to the boy’s eyes.

“What’s your name? I’m Naruto, and I’m genin by the way,”

Zuko pauses before hesitantly introducing himself.

“My name is Zuko, it is nice to meet you too,”

The kid brightens _even more_ and Zuko can feel Teuchi’s eyes on them as the man cooks their meals. Naruto seems to vibrate in pure excitement, and Zuko can’t help but compare him to Sokka’s overenthusiastic kids. Zuko eyes the bit again before an idea sparks in his mind.

"Does being a ninja pay well?"

* * *

  
  


The teacher, who's name is Iruka as Toph learns, bids her farewell and good luck as he leaves the library. He was actually extremely good at teaching and didn’t seem to be annoyed or pitying about her blindness at _all._

She's got the alphabet fairly memorized now, and though It's getting late she figures she can look through some more books.

Her fingers trace over the raised digits along the book spines. She passes over some interesting-sounding historical texts before stopping abruptly on one.

_"Basic Chakra Techniques of a Ninja"_

She pulls it off the shelf and carefully sits on the ground next to it. For the next hour, she reads through the book with increasing wonder and interest.

The book instructs on techniques about pulling out your inner chakra, which would’ve been familiar if not for the fact that their definition and description of chakra was wildly different. The author had gone on about meditating- also familiar- but had waxed poetry about some sort of singular pool of energy within each form of life. There was nothing about restricted energy flows or types of chi at _all._

She gets to the end of the book and carefully closes it. She wonders for a moment upon whether or not she should bring it with her before sighing and placing it back on its spot on the shelf. Hesitating for only a second, Toph closes her eyes, settles back down upon the ground, and pulls her legs into a meditative shape.

A deep breath and she’s extending a form of herself inwards. She passes chi points and familiar wells of power before stopping at her centre, where her supposed chakra should be.

There’s nothing there.

Frustrated, she pulls at her core harder, extending her reach throughout her abdomen in a curious search for this world’s chakra. But again, there’s nothing similar to the chakra mentioned in the book at _all._

Alright then. She carefully falls out of the meditative trance and stands.

She doesn’t have access to this world’s chakra, but that’s fine. She’s never needed more power anyways. She begins to head back home and puts the niggling disappointment she felt into a box at the back of her mind.


	4. A Matter of Class

Zuko’s head tilts as he listens to Toph explain her chakra problem to him. They’re in their apartment and recently they’ve both been noticing multiple presences outside their temporary home, potentially listening in. One way they’ve quickly decided to fix that problem is communication through speaking Chinese. After some simple research, they quickly found that their world’s dialects and languages were not existing in this one. Toph is actually better at the language than he is since she spent most of her childhood learning multiple forms of communication while Zuko only recently began learning the language for reading old formal texts.

‘I can’t seem to feel any of their kind of chakra within me, but if I focus I can feel it in other people and around us! I thought it might have been something to do with our bending, but when I meditated around you, you had their type of chakra. It’s like-’ Toph says, she gestures frustratedly and ends up waving her hand in the general direction of Zuko’s head. ‘You have all _their_ type of chakra focused in your head, behind your eye.’

Zuko nods along, carefully memorizing the specific words Toph is using for ‘bending’ and ‘chakra.’ He half-heartedly reaches within himself to find the chakra Toph claims to feel in his, and is surprised to find that it really was piled up in his head. He reaches to pull at it, and is immediately met with an annoyed growl.

_I actually enjoy resting, Zuko, so I would prefer for you to not bother me when you aren’t in a desperate situation._ Druk says lowly into Zuko’s mind. Surprised, Zuko’s eyebrows raise and he quickly informs Toph.

‘It is not chakra, it is _Druk,_ “ Zuko says, his Chinese is slightly bumpy but Toph seems to get the idea.

‘You have Druk in your head?’ she asks, incredulous. She closes her eyes, breathes out, and carefully senses the chakra in Zuko’s body.

‘It feels a lot like their chakra, but I guess it _is_ different. It’s more...fiery. Of course it is,’ Toph huffs out and leans back. ‘Can you do anything with it? Or do you just have Druk’s soul in you?’

Zuko readies himself to respond but pauses. He doesn’t know.

* * *

Toph forces herself to relax as she steps into the classroom. One of the presences from earlier had trailed her entire trip and has settled nearby outside a window. There aren’t many young heartbeats in the room yet, but she’s aware of the many hammering outside so she knows not to get too used to the adequate quietness of the class currently. She easily manoeuvres around the desks and places her bag down next to the one she chooses. It’s almost too easy to register the number of people around her. She quietly notes to tell Zuko about the strangely quiet heartbeats that seem to have been following them now that she’s started school. For some reason, she’s being watched. Zuko probably is too.

Just as she begins to feel comfortable in her chair, she hears and feels the vibrations of the other _kids_ approaching and entering the room. It’s not overwhelming at all, but Toph scrunches up her shoulders and sinks a bit regardless. Her ears catch a familiar step pattern and her nose recognizes a scent.

Oh. Her new teacher is Iruka. Students begin piling and rushing into the room, they are loud and alive and smelly. Toph doesn’t even scrunch her nose at the stench of gross dirt sticking to the shoes of some children. She’s used to most sensations and sensory information.

“Hey! Who’re you?” a young voice suddenly shouts from across the room. Toph is surprised only a little bit, she hadn’t expected to be called out so quickly. She hears Iruka sigh and she is called to the front to introduce herself. She carefully steps up, purposefully avoiding other desks and feet and instead gracefully heading to the front of the classroom. It’d be good to establish dominance early, even if they really are just children. She turns and faces the classroom.

“Hello. My name is Toph and I hope to enjoy learning with you. Please accept me as a new classmate,” Toph says, if albeit with obviously fake enthusiasm that _should_ be detectable by the students. She smiles serenely at them and bows before getting back to her chair. She’s not planning on making friends, she just needs to get through this whole academy thing so that their government can lay off.

* * *

On the way to the supposed registration office, Zuko carefully memorizes the chakra that follows him. The flow and carefully-hidden restraint of it tells him that it’s a professional, yet he doesn’t know exactly why it is following him around. It has yet to attack him or Toph, but he is not ready to dismiss it as just governmental monitoring. When he finally arrives at the building, the presence stops just a couple meters from outside the door he enters. He can feel the presence soon shifting to a nearby window, however.

Zuko idly moves around the strange office as he waits for someone to come to the front desk. He was told by that blonde kid before that he could get some sort of license for taking missions here and he’s decided that this career was the best course of action for him. 

His swords are familiarly weighing slightly on his back. They’re comfortable there, and Zuko is glad that this strange trip at least brought those with him. Them, and Druk and Toph. While he knows that Toph is definitely having a difficult time adjusting to her younger body and to this new world, a small part of him is glad that he isn’t alone.

Finally, a woman exits from another room and tiredly sits behind the counter, Zuko straightens formally as he approaches and puts on a respectful smile.

“I was wondering if I could register for missions? I don’t have any academy experience here, but I am trained and experienced,”

The woman sighs and gives a cursory glance over Zuko. Her eyes catch unimpressed over the handles of his swords that poke out from behind him.

“You’ll have to take a test to register as a shinobi.”

Zuko nods carefully and relaxes his shoulders. He isn’t yet used to people underestimating him again, but he guesses it might be better for him and Toph in the long run. 

“I would not classify myself as a shinobi, but I am willing to take any tests required for taking on missions,”

She makes a little annoyed face before she’s suddenly professional. Her back straightens as she moves to pull out forms from the cabinets under the counter.

“Alright then, you’ll have to fill out these forms, send them in, and wait for an approval and a meeting date to continue. It could take a couple of business days, as our Hokage and the council oversee shinobi business. I don’t know how your situation will be handled as you apparently haven’t attended the Academy,”

She hands the rolled-up forms to him and Zuko thanks her as he places them into his left pocket. The papers fit comfortably in his formal traveller’s wear. As he heads out, Zuko breathes out hotly as almost-perfectly hidden chakra flickers a small distance away. He’s being monitored, it seems. He’ll be sure to be on his best behaviour.

* * *

Toph tries her best to remain as innocent as she can, but the amount of annoying noise in the classroom just might tip her over the edge.

For a ninja village, she had expected Fire Nation School levels of respect and discipline from the students as soon as they got into class. Unfortunately, the opposite seems to be the case.

“Sensei! Sensei! Can we start are duels early today? I want to fight the new girl!” an obnoxious kid, Konohamaru if Toph remembers correctly, yells at their teacher. Toph straightens a bit at the mention of her, and she immediately feels ready to beat up a couple of brats who don’t know what fighting is. Toph hears Iruka sigh heavily.

“Please sit back down, Konohamaru. We need to go over Henges since _all-”_ Toph assumes Iruka is sending a glare across the class,”- _of you_ slacked off last week when we were first going over it. However, if review goes well, we can go back to practice in performing the Henge.”

Toph’s heart stops for a moment at the lesson plan. She hadn’t been able to access their sort of chakra the other day, nor was she able to do it the small times she tried it at other times. She couldn’t find any of their type of chakra within her, but she was able to sense it in the people around her if she focused.

At least she got caught up on the class material the few days she had before her first day. It wasn’t that large of an amount of information, though it was a bit hard getting used to their slightly different form of braille. It helped that Zuko studied with her, that he was equally interested in the subjects as she was. She has a better memory than Zuko does but she can be a slow reader.

“-Would anyone like to tell me one way you can potentially recognize someone’s appearance as a Henge?” Iruka asks. Toph scowls a moment, bored, before a new idea settles in her mind. She feels like she already knows enough to pass this little academy altogether, why not actually do so? She raises her hand. Iruka hesitantly calls on her.

“ _Apparently,_ if you focus on a person’s defining features, such as jawlines or hand shapes, you might be able to catch the waver of chakra curled around them. Practised users can hide it seamlessly, but less experienced ninja often have edges that shift unnaturally,” Toph answers. She trickles in a bit of humour at the beginning. She looks straight at where Iruka’s head would be, her eyes stare blankly at him.

“Thank you, Toph. Already a good student, many of you could do to be like her in your studies-” Iruka begins to say. Toph can hear the awkward smile in his voice.

“She’s _blind,_ how does she even read-” a student whines, cutting their teacher off. Toph stiffens up and affects a cold expression as she fixes her “gaze” ahead of her, ignoring the other student.

“ _Kaneto,_ you better apologize right this instant. You know what? History lesson time, for the _whole_ class.” The students groan, and Toph carefully hides her confusion at Iruka’s quick scolding. “One of the most powerful known Illusion specialists in our history, Ugau Shirasu, was able to steal over four-hundred scrolls of enemy information. She had mastered the _Henge_ perfectly and was able to talk to enemy generals as though she was one of them. She was _blind_ since the age of twelve and died of old age in her nineties.”

Toph’s heart warms a bit at the information. She was a bit surprised at the blatant use of the words “enemy” and “steal” but she guesses that such terms and practice would be normal for a ninja-governed and focused village. Iruka’s obvious confidence in Toph’s ability to become a ninja reminds her of the interrogators not dismissing her as just some useless blind girl. It quickly becomes apparent to her that she can not as easily get away with the innocent blind man act unless she’s talking to a civilian. It’s nice, but also frustrating.

Iruka finishes his tangent and breathes in steadily. Surprised, Toph notices how easily Iruka is able to steady his heartbeat. It’s not so perfect that she wouldn’t be able to tell what he’s feeling, but it’s quick enough that she’s impressed.

“As I was _saying_ before we were distracted, Toph answered my question correctly. To expand on that, a steady and stable flow of chakra is essential for performing and maintaining a Henge, when a ninja fails to even out their flow, the Henge suffers from hazy and-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wondering if y'all would prefer chapters with just one pov, or if you are all alright with the frequent pov changes between Toph and Zuko in these last chapters (By that I mean, One chapter would be all Toph ad the next would be all Zuko, then Toph, and so on). Or alternatively, for me to focus on just one of their povs for the rest of the story. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	5. Spars and Stalls

Zuko easily manoeuvres around the market, carefully avoiding bumping into a stranger. Once he’s finally found the cheaper stalls of produce, he begins focusing more on what’s in front of him rather than what’s following him.

There’s a surprising amount of leafy greens for sale, and Zuko is vaguely amused by a stall with just cabbage. He doesn’t have much money on him since he wants to avoid spending too much of their grant money, but he’s sure he has enough to prepare some meals for him and Toph for the week. 

As he carefully inspects a rather large lotus root, he hears a merchant angrily yelling.

“No! I have told you many times, you are not allowed to buy from my stall. Leave.”

Zuko keeps from tensing up and doesn’t move his eyes from where they focus on the vegetable in his hand. He breathes out calmly before deciding he should not intervene, it wouldn’t be good to alienate himself so early.

“I just want some daikon! I need to eat more vegetables to grow stronger! You have so much and I have money! I can pay you!” A young voice yells back. Zuko’s eyes widen slightly as he recognizes the voice. Still, he’s set on not interfering. He doesn’t know what Naruto did, but he’s not about to start a fight with a civilian.

But then he hears more yelling, and then a thud on the ground.

“You little brat. I don’t care about your dirty cash, I’m not selling anything to a demon.”

Zuko places the lotus root down and turns. When he stops, he looks on unimpressed at the merchant towering over Naruto, who’s been pushed onto the ground. Zuko curses his years of reformation for only a moment before he stalks forward. Idly, he registers the chakra following him spiking. Plastering on a polite smile, he looks toward the merchant and appears to ignore the boy. He can feel Naruto tensing below him.

“Excuse me, how much are your daikon radish?” Zuko asks. Carefully diverting the merchant’s attention away from Naruto.

The seller grins at him, a complete change from the scowl he directed at the kid, and tells him. The seller even mentions other vegetables that go well with the produce. Zuko continues smiling, his head tilts indulgently at the seller.

Zuko swiftly picks out the nicest daikon he can find and quietly buys it. He can hear Naruto behind him, breathing heavily and angrily. While the merchant turns to get a bag for him, Zuko quickly glances back at Naruto and winks. Naruto visibly becomes confused and looks about ready to yell at him before Zuko turns back towards the merchant.

As soon as Zuko receives the bag, he drops his smile and regards the merchant.

“I would think such displays of abuse would be bad for business, but I guess it did get me to buy some of your cheap produce,” Zuko says succinctly. He turns his back on the sputtering merchant and leans down to help Naruto up. As soon as the boy is back on his feet, Zuko hands the bag of daikon to him.

Naruto looks at the bag in his hands and then back at Zuko. Zuko’s only a bit taller yet Naruto tilts his chin up and thanks him softly.

Zuko nods back and straightens regally before he makes a motion to go back to the other stall. Before he can, Naruto stops him.

The blonde presses some cash into his hands.

“I really could pay for it. Thanks for the help!” Naruto says. Naruto’s smile feels intense in its gratitude. Zuko carefully smiles back. They both ignore the merchant spewing hateful speech about “foreigners” and “demons.”

Naruto squints at him for a moment before smiling again. Then, the kid bolts off, running toward what Zuko recognizes as another cheap neighbourhood. He silently hopes the kid has nice parents.

Zuko takes the cash and continues shopping, well aware of the tense chakra following him. It’s strange how his little stalkers are acting after his moment with Naruto. If anything, they almost seem suspicious of him just for helping the poor kid. 

He carefully walks home with his acquired produce.

* * *

Toph silently raises an eyebrow as Iruka carefully reminds them all of the safety rules and guidelines. Toph breathes out evenly as Iruka lets two students begin. 

She puts some of her attention to them. Their stances aren’t very solid and the way they shuffle their feet on the ground is unintentional and sloppy. She figures a good hit to their knees would bring them down. She feels the vibrations of one of them going for a punch to the head instead. 

The two students currently fighting aren’t too good, to be completely honest, and Toph isn’t surprised when Iruka quietly calls her over.

As she carefully makes her way over, she hears a student tapping out and Iruka calmly calling the match in another student’s favour. Toph stops herself from laughing at how out of breath the students sound. She carefully stands near Iruka as he quickly calls up another set of students to spar. Then, she feels him directing his attention to her.

“Will you be participating in the spars today? You’ve joined rather late in our school year so you might have a disadvantage in forms. I would also like to know if you have any weaknesses I should be aware of,” Iruka says quietly. Toph is glad to hear the absence of pity in the man’s voice.

Toph nods easily and tilts her head a small bit.

“I don’t have chakra. I know how to fight though.”

She hears Iruka move slightly and recognizes it as surprise. He stills for a moment before seemingly surprised again. Toph figures he must’ve reached out to her core or whatever.

“Oh, I see. You have very little inherent chakra but still some naturally lining your core. Not enough to use, but that’s alright. I had a student similar to you a while back. Thank you for informing me, we’ll be adjusting your exams and tests for that here on out. Do you still want to spar today?”

Toph smiles sweetly.

“I’d like to try it,” 

* * *

Zuko carefully rolls out the forms on the short coffee table of the apartment. Toph is still at school- hopefully not causing too much chaos- and Zuko has finally found something to actually do. If he does what he needs correctly, he’ll soon be with a job and an excuse to learn more about the world here.

The forms laid in front of him are strangely detailed. There are questions asking for height, graduation age, and fighting style of choice. Zuko carefully marks down his sword skills and, after a moment of consideration, adds that he has an affinity for fire. The other questions are simple, asking for his background and his reason for wanting to be a shinobi.

It’s all very strange and almost feels like he’s filling out a joke form. 

Regardless, he dutifully fills out every space he can and does his best to fill in the questions he’s confused with. It takes some time, but soon he’s rolling the papers back up and carefully placing them within a bag.

Then, he gets up and enters the small kitchen. He had the vegetables already laid out and he had a pot of water boiling as he worked.

He gets started on prepping food for the week. The cheap knife handle in his palm feels light as he dices the vegetables for a broth.

* * *

Toph copies the bow the other student makes before settling into a smooth stance. She has her left foot planted in front of her and her right behind her. It’s different from the traditionally sturdy earthbender form that she’s familiar with, but she knows the forms here are more similar to firebending styles than earthbending.

She feels a flicker of chakra beyond the window focusing attention on her. Their heartbeats have slightly changed and their breathing is less purposefully focused. Overall, they sound more attentive to her. 

She vaguely wonders if this would negatively affect her and Zuko before shrugging.

“Come on, Mouth-Breather, show me what you’ve got!” Toph taunts to the student ahead of her. She remembers his name is something along the lines of or perhaps exactly “Konohamaru.” She hears a scoff.

Toph shifts her body and raises a steady arm to block a kick aimed at her neck. Quickly. She brings an elbow down on the leg before forcing her body forward and moving her right foot in front of her, effectively bringing her close enough to the kid’s space to land a swift punch at his shoulder. 

The force of her arm hitting down the boy’s shin and the force of her punch to his shoulder has him tipping backwards and falling on his ass. She’s impressed when the kid continues pushing backwards and rolls away from her. 

Toph takes a step back and readjusts her form. She was aiming more for his knee but her body wasn’t tall enough. Her arm wasn’t long enough. She hears Konoham-and-soup or whatever kick back up onto his legs and resume a form himself.

As soon as he sprints forward and throws a punch at her own shoulder, she twists, grabbing his arm and pressing her back to his surprised front before pulling hard and managing to throw him over her and onto his back in front over her. She backs away again, ready to continue.

He groans and makes no move to get up.

Iruka calls the match in her favour. She feels smug despite her opponent being a kid.

* * *

When Zuko is just about finished with the food, he hears the movement of the front door opening, and Toph’s loud “I’m home!” accompanying it.

She enters the kitchen, nose twitching and mouth stretched into a self-satisfied grin. Zuko sighs, spoons some of the brothy stew into a bowl, and sets it on the counter. He pushes it toward her and she takes a graceful seat.

“I can tell you’ve won a fight. Are you alright though?” Zuko asks, more out of courtesy than any worry for Toph. Toph snorts and shakes her head.

“Nah, I’m not hurt. I got to spar though, and it was actually a little fun!” Toph says. She picks up the bowl and swallows down some of it, completely disregarding the spoon Zuko had also set out for her. She screws her face slightly and pouts.

“You added so much spice,” She states, slightly put off by it. She continues eating it anyways.

Zuko nods idly and gets himself a serving. He spoons some broth and a piece of softened lotus root into his mouth. The warmth of it fills him nicely.

“I’ll be getting a license for missions soon. The exam itself mentions use of chakra though, and I will be asking for a replacement test of some sort.” Zuko reports. He stares at Toph drinking the soup as though she were drinking from a cup and grimaces.

“Oh, cool. They’re actually going to help me with that stuff too at the academy, they have some nice teachers.” 

They both relax slightly as they feel the chakra sources around their home leave. However, one from each of their patrolling groups remain. Toph stills as she hears footsteps outside their apartment door. Someone knocks.

Zuko straightens and is about to go to the door before Toph stops him. They both feel the chakra watching them from their window tense. When she opens the door, Toph listens to the way Zuko actually relaxes from his few meters away from the door. Someone he knows then.

“Hiya! I didn’t think I’d get any neighbours and technically you aren’t since you live a floor below me but-”

“Naruto?” Zuko asks, walking up to the door and standing a little behind Toph.

“-Scar Face?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long to update :/ I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! thank you for reading! Comments are welcome!


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